Discussing Personal Matters
by Rain Eldont
Summary: Commander Shepard decides to confront her crew with what she learned from their dossiers discovered on the Shadow Broker's base.
1. Miranda Lawson

**AN: **First story on the site. I must admit, this chapter is a bit... serious. Shepard can't_ not_ be serious when dealing with Miranda's conception issues! I promise forthcoming chapters will be sufficiently light-hearted, where it can be that is. FYI, my Shepard is Commander Rain Shepard, Renagon, Colonist, Ruthless. She isn't a complete renegade because where her crew or innocent people are concerned, she's a secret softie. She's only mean to the bad guys... and politicians.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

_**Miranda Lawson**_

"Curious as to why you must know, Commander. _Very_ curious. Find mating and producing offsprings the_ natural_ way too much... effort? Wait. You see none worthy enough to mate with! You wish for yourself, your identity, to be percolated through to this new being. Much like cloning. Why you would suddenly- wait- you know you will die soon! How? Such lack of confidence, Commander? If you must know-"

Shepard simply raised two fingers to silence the babbling scientist she had been unfortunate enough to indulge. "Mordin." she said, suppressing a sigh. "I wish for no such thing. _Things._ Whatever you just implied. None of it."

Before he could even open his mouth to enquire further, she had lifted herself up off his table and swiftly left the room. His gaze followed her back for a second, before he went back to sticking one eye into the observing tube of his microscope. "Curious," he whispered to himself. "_Very_ curious."

* * *

Shepard exited the elevator and quickly strode to the door of her XO. "Miranda?" she called.

"Commander, come in." The reply was swift, only expected of her ever-alert, ever-efficient XO.

Shepard walked in through the now open door. Miranda looked up for a second, gave a slight nod, and resumed to gaze at her screen. Shepard took a seat in front of her and waited another second or two before Miranda straightened and turned to look at her. "Yes Commander?"

"Miranda-" Shepard paused. She did not have the slightest idea of how to handle a conversation like the one she was about to have. Up until then, she had merely went around gathering facts pertaining to the situation, and had hoped to state them all out to Miranda and leave her to choose. She didn't think about how she would approach the situation_ emotionally_. Shepard was never good with emotions. It was a side of her that she had locked out and left to die the day her parents were killed on Mindoir. But sitting there right then looking into the narrowed eyes of her XO waiting for her to continue, Shepard could only hope she wouldn't fumble and make a fool out of herself, or even worse, offend Miranda in any way.

Taking a deep breath, she continued- " I'm going to be direct." She saw Miranda's posture stiffen. " You know the previous mission I was on was to help Liara T'Soni to infiltrate the Shadow Broker's base, right?"

Miranda nodded, eyes still narrowed. "Of course, Commander. That mission was a success."

Shepard kept her gaze. "Yes, it was. We had access to all of the Shadow Broker's files, and I... came across some interesting dossiers."

Miranda tilted her head slightly, an eyebrow raised in question. "It isn't like you to take so long to come to the point Commander."

_Damn!_

"I found out that he had been maintaining dossiers of all my crew, including you."

Shepard felt a slight relief to see Miranda's eyes widen. Fumbling was definitely_ not_ good. Shepard would not fumble. Not again.

Shepard leaned forward to place both hands on the table, locking Miranda in a softer gaze this time. She knew she wouldn't like it in the least bit to find out that somebody had gained access to the most private details of her life. But Shepard had decided then to confront her about it- in view of keeping her crew at their optimal levels of functioning, she had explained to herself then. It was better than admitting that she actually felt sorry for her XO. She was sure Miranda herself wouldn't appreciate sympathy from anyone, even her CO.

"I'll need to speak with Legion and EDI regarding how in hell that bastard actually managed to bypass_ all_ security protocols to retrieve data from the Normandy's systems, and-"

"Shepard-" Miranda's voice was low but forceful. "What did you find out about me?"

It didn't sound like an accusation, Shepard realized, more like a request. Shepard had to try hard not to physically fumble in her seat. She reminded herself situations like these were exactly why she simply didn't _do_ emotions.

Shepard kept her eyes focused but not piercingly so. Miranda didn't move a muscle as she waited for her CO to elaborate. "I found out that you were unable to conceive."

Shepard could have sworn she heard Miranda gasp inwardly, and saw her rigid posture tremble slightly.

Shepard only waited a millisecond to see if Miranda would lose her composure and lash out at her before she began to talk herself.

"If you're intending to ask me why I browsed through the dossiers, it was because I needed to find out if whatever the Broker found out about my crew could sabotage us in any way if that information were to end up in the wrong hands. I found out it wouldn't, and-" Shepard saw that Miranda was looking down at the table, her expression withdrawn. "I apologize that I came upon facts of such personal nature."

When Miranda still didn't speak, Shepard rolled her seat forward, reaching her arms out further to pointlessly grasp at the spot on the table where Miranda's gaze was fixed at. "I realized it wouldn't be right if I didn't inform you that I'd come to know these things. That's why I'm here right now."

Miranda turned her head to the side, looking at the ground as she finally spoke. "Its alright Shepard. You know a lot about my life anyway. You're the only reason I'm even talking to my sister now." She turned back to look Shepard square in the eye, but her gaze was anything but hostile. There was a ghost of a smile on her face, and Shepard's eyes twitched slightly as she noted the subtle gleam in Miranda's eyes that wasn't there a second ago. "I'm just glad its you and not anybody else."

Shepard let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She had honestly not expected Miranda to react so pleasantly at the news. She hadn't expected an outburst, of course; Miranda wasn't that kind of person. But she'd definitely expected harsh glares and sharp words of reprimand.

Unconsciously, Shepard brought her hands closer to home, and offered Miranda a nod of understanding before continuing.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it. But I've been doing some research." Shepard braced herself for impact. She literally had no idea how Miranda would take her suggestions. "You could always go ahead with the same genome reproduction that your father-"

_"No!"_

Shepard's words caught in her throat as Miranda slammed both hands on the table and shot up from her seat.

So much for not being_ that_ kind of person.

Shepard mentally punched herself for bringing herself into the present situation. But she'd come here with a solution, and she'd be damned if she didn't even get an opportunity to present it. Sighing, she slowly got up to stand in front of Miranda- who was now breathing hard, her face angled to the ground again.

"I don't claim to understand Miranda. But it is a solution to your current predicament. You seem to consider it abhorrent not because of what the procedure inherently is, but for what your father intended with it."

Shepard walked around the table to stand within a foot of her XO, carefully avoiding coming up too close and provoking her in some way. She raised a reluctant hand and placed it gently on her shoulder. When Miranda didn't flinch or shove her hand away, Shepard spoke again.

"I spoke with Mordin earlier about the possible implications of the process. He confirmed that it would not cause-" Shepard paused. For a moment she appreciated what people like Kelly Chambers did every day of their lives. "-impotency."

Miranda whirled her head around to face Shepard, eyes wider than she had ever seen them before. Shepard involuntarily brought her hand away from her shoulder. Miranda's mouth opened once to speak, closed, then opened again. "That means-" Her voice carried a quiver that Shepard would never have expected to hear, coming from her. But she should have known that being the bearer of news like she had would have led to many an unexpected actions from her XO.

Shepard continued to bear a forceful gaze at Miranda, hoping it would somehow get her to gather back her strict disposition again. The last thing Shepard thought she would be capable of doing would be to console an emotionally decapitated Miranda Lawson.

"That means that you were made sterile with intent, Miranda."

Shepard watched as every part of Miranda's body seemed to tremble in built up tension. She could only catch a glance of the blue aura surrounding Miranda's balled up fists before every soldier instinct kicked in and Shepard let herself fall to the floor on the other side of the table, both hands over her head. Not a moment too late, as she heard what she assumed to be every item on Miranda's desk being flung around and crashing all around her. The resounding crash rang in her ears a moment after the commotion, and Shepard took another moment to get up, hardly believing what she saw.

Miranda stood with her back facing her, and her normally crisp clean room was now littered with the consequences of the biotic throw that she had inflicted on her desk. Shepard was glad she hadn't managed to lift the desk itself off its place. She could have done it easily, but even in her moment of turmoil, Miranda had managed to grasp hold of some amount of restraint. It was commendable, and Shepard would have voiced the same, had it been in a different circumstance.

But this particular circumstance- Shepard had had enough. She took long strides over the fallen items on the floor and stood directly across her XO. Shepard knew she didn't actually_ feel_ the amount of anger her eyes would be showing, but she had no intent of backing down. Shepard never coddled anybody. She'd learned all her lessons the hard away- since Mindoir- nothing was ever handed to her on a silver spoon. Sometimes life wasn't fair, sometimes it felt like all the world was against you- but as a soldier she had learned to deal with it. It was the only reason she was standing there now as the Commander of the Normandy, as a Specter.

"Miranda" she said, voice laced with harsh authority. "Look at me."

Miranda looked. There was no defiance in her eyes, only sorrow and desperation. Shepard hated it. This wasn't Miranda. Miranda Lawson was better than this. Miranda Lawson could deal with this and a lot more.

"Pull yourself together Lawson. That display was nothing short of juvenile." Shepard's tone did not change, even when Miranda's shoulders fell and that glaze returned to her eyes. "What your father did to you was horrible. That man deserves to rot in hell, and some more. But you cannot let him affect you like this."

"Shepard, I-"

Shepard raised her palm to silence her. "I don't want to hear it. It's done Miranda, its over. You can sit here and mope about it or put it behind you and do something good with your life."

Shepard lowered her voice a bit, and took in a breath. "You want a child, and there is a way." Miranda seemed to relax a bit, and nodded slightly. "And this time, you get to do it right."

Miranda said nothing. Instead, she went to sit on her bed, face warped in contemplation. Shepard went around her table and bent down to pick up the stuff she had scattered around a moment ago, and placed it haphazardly back on the table. Casually dusting the datapads, she took one last look at her XO. Her face no longer nurtured the lost expression she had on a while ago. She now seemed resolute, like she was actively considering what Shepard had told her.

Satisfied with that, Shepard turned to leave. She reached the holo on the door and started to type in the command to exit when Miranda spoke.

"Shepard-"

Shepard turned her head slightly to the side, not looking back to face Miranda, but indicating that she had her attention.

"I must admit, I never delved deep into the procedure that created me." Shepard heard her get up from the bed to presumably sit at the seat behind her desk again, arranging the things atop it. "It was taboo for me in a way. So I always assumed that the issues with my body were a result of it. And until today I never would have imagined having my own child the same way." There was a pause. "Thank you Commander, for everything."

Shepard waited a moment longer before keying in the last digit into the console. The door opened. Shepard didn't turn around, didn't respond; she simply smiled at herself, for the first time in many days, before walking out.


	2. Mordin Solus

**AN:** This chapter assumes that Shepard is pursuing a relationship with Garrus. No mushy stuff, but had to raise up the rating because of... other things in the chapter. I hope it isn't disturbing in any way to anybody! No crazy acts, just crazy talks.

Thanks for reading everybody! :) A special thanks to all that are kind enough to leave reviews. Means the world to me.

_**Mordin Solus**_

Shepard decided to pour herself her third glass of alcohol. So far she'd downed the green and red colored concoctions, with satisfying results. She'd looked out the observation window and had still managed to see every star speck distinctly. She'd also turned around to see Kasumi still fast asleep on her couch. It felt mildly strange for Shepard to sit alone drinking in the same room that one of her crew was sleeping in. She'd offered to join in of course, but Shepard had declined. She had strict apprehensions about having her crew see her drunk. She trusted Kasumi, but didn't trust herself. Back in her bootcamp days, Shepard had always been known as the somewhat_ loose_ one. 'Shepard's at it again guys. Come and see!', one of the guys in her unit would holler. And before she knew it a small crowd of people would have assembled to watch her make a complete idiot out of herself after having taken in just a couple of glasses._ Commander_ Shepard would not repeat the same mistake.

Shepard had decided to stop at two glasses. From past experience, she'd determined her sanity limit to be at around two to three glasses only. But looking at the exotic green and red colored liquids in front her her, Shepard could hardly resist pouring out one last glass. She'd spent a good three minutes wondering which one to choose. She'd then realized she'd forgotten what they'd tasted like individually.

To hell with it.

She wore a somewhat crazy smirk on her face as she poured _both_ liquids into her glass to create a weird purple colored abomination that swirled around like it was chemically active. Elementary chemistry told her she should probably be wary.

To hell with it.

Shepard took it all in in one big gulp. For a second she remained motionless, waiting to see if something would happen. When nothing did, Shepard looked out the window again and began to count the specks of stars. Yes, she could still count. She was alright.

Common sense took over and Shepard finally stretched one reluctant foot to get off the bar stool and retreat to her quarters. She took a second too long to get down, gauging her steps. Nothing seemed wobbly, she could still see straight.

Shepard was definitely alright.

Inside the elevator, Shepard's finger hovered over the key on the console that would take her back to her quarters. She frowned. She_ really_ didn't want to go back. Shepard suddenly felt lonely,_ extremely_ lonely. She'd be so alone her entire life. Right now, she felt the gripping urge to_ be_ with someone- anything but alone back in her quarters. Hell, she had assembled a team of twelve people, brought them back alive from a suicide mission, and had probably made them all heroes of the galaxy. She deserved to be indulged by one of them. If they didn't feel like it, she would order them by authority of being their commanding officer!

Shepard closed her eyes and randomly picked a deck.

* * *

"Mordin!"

Professor Mordin Solus looked up from his datapad to see his commanding officer standing at the doorway of his lab, both arms spread out, a very strange grin on her face.

He sniffed the air around him as Shepard coolly made her way inside the lab and unceremoniously plopped herself up on his table.

"Drunk Commander. Interesting." Mordin spent only a second in contemplation before pointedly ignored his CO who was now seated just inches away from his workspace, and resumed studying his datapad. "If there is nothing important, leave. Lots of work."

In one swift motion, Shepard grabbed the datapad he was holding and flung it carelessly onto another table on the far side of the room. Before Mordin could react, she had him caught in a gaze that he could only describe as one quarter sad and three quarters pathetic.

"Mordin, I'm lonely." Shepard dragged out each word, almost like she had a hard time phrasing her sentences.

Mordin narrowed his eyes, frustration seeping into him. "Terribly busy Commander. Sure there are others who can cure your... loneliness."

"Like who?" Shepard had begun to trace the outline of one of the beakers on his workspace.

Mordin reached out and gently pried the beaker from her hands and walked around to place it on a far desk. "Officer Vakarian, of course. Hope you two used the resources I had provided... efficiently."

Mordin didn't bother to hide his grin and the evil glint in his eyes on seeing his CO's eyes widen almost imperceptibly. But Shepard quickly recovered- shaking her head vigorously as if to clear her thoughts. Mordin watched mildly amused as the next second she had her right arm outstretched, index finger pointing straight at him, a look of wild ecstasy on her face.

"_You!_" Shepard's arm whirled around to point to the seat behind the desk that she was sitting on. "Sit._ Now_."

Mordin sighed. He supposed it wouldn't do too much harm to his schedule if he were to put up with the drunk anomaly that was currently perched above his table. It might even be interesting to note how their usually straight faced and stern commander behaved under the influence of alcohol. She had certainly amused him with her antics until then. Mordin held back a grin as he complied, seating himself upon the indicated chair.

"Alright," he said, placing both hands on the table, fingers interlocked. "Let's talk."

Shepard turned herself around slightly to face him, a smile plastered on her face.

"Cloaca."

Mordin's eye twitched. "What?"

Shepard continued, no longer dragging her words out, but still managing to sound insanely drunk. "I'm aware of the salarian fascination with cloaca!"

"No fascination that I'm aware of, Commander." Mordin replied, tone even.

"_Don't-_" Shepard stressed, index finger suddenly less than an inch away from his face. "-question the source of my knowledge Dr. Solus. I learned from the Shadow Broker's dossiers."

_Ah!_

"Please elaborate, Commander."

Shepard brought her finger back in front of her face, and began to eye it like she would a lab specimen. "You and Kirrahe, referring to each others' cloaca in the middle of the battlefield. Hell Mordin, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to hump each-"

"_Cloaca!_ Cloaca. Very interesting. Evokes curiosity Commander." Mordin began to speak very fast. Shepard for a moment wanted to ask him why in hell he'd interrupted her, when she realized she'd forgotten what she'd been saying before he did. So she listened.

"Been doing my fair share of research in the area. Must say, fascinated with humans. Especially female humans. Hear you have... _three?_"

Shepard raised an eyebrow. Some part of her brain told her she really shouldn't be having this particular conversation. But that part was small enough to neglect.

"Three-" Shepard looked up, thinking. "Three cloaca?"

"_-cae_."

"What?"

"Cloacae, Commander. Plural." Mordin smiled as Shepard turned to look at him again, confusion etched on her face.

Shepard gave a quick nod. "Mhm, we have three." She held up three fingers in earnest. "Three cloa-_cae_."

"Always been curious Commander." Mordin leaned forward. "Human females must possess extreme control._ Three_ cloacae! Must operate one at one time. Fascinating muscle coordination. Do levels of exertion for each cloacal operation vary, Commander?"

Shepard furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Mhm." She held up the same three fingers again. "Three very different levels of exertion."

Mordin's eyes narrowed as he let his grin spread. "Please elaborate, Commander."

Shepard turned around a bit more to look him straight in the eye. She held up one finger. "The first, you get urges. Not much effort." Second finger. "The second, once a month, no effort, hurts like a bitch." Third finger. "The third, slightly more effort. Much worse if you're constipated!"

Mordin didn't know if he felt highly pleased at screwing around with his drunk Commander's senses, or just extremely disturbed at her lack of restraint in describing her bodily functions. He decided to go with pleased.

"Was researching sexual activity in other species as well. Only one of these cloacae is used in the copulating process. Yes?"

"Second one, yep!" Shepard suddenly bent down, one palm cupping her mouth, and she began to whisper sufficiently loudly into Mordin's face. "There are some though- they use the_ third_ one!"

Shepard leaned back again, scrunching her face up in disgust. "Never understood_ that_ particular brand of crazy."

"Fascinating!" Mordin sniffed. "And first-"

"Oh no!" Shepard shook her head back and forth. "Too small."

Mordin held back a chuckle. "Find myself very interested now Commander." He got up from his seat, and proceeded to clear the things that were atop the makeshift patient bed that was located on one side of the lab. "Must see this for myself." He patted the bed beside him. "Come on now, Commander."

Shepard's eyes widened considerably this time. "Uh, Mordin-"

"For science, Commander. Just need to make few observations. Will take few samples." He began arranging test tubes and filling them with random chemicals. "Might even publish a paper on it."

"Dr. Mordin Solus." He said, airily, looking up at nothing in particular. "Expert on human female tri-cloacae."

Mordin waited another second before he turned around, only to be faced with the sight of his commander fixing him with the silliest grin he had ever seen. "Mordin, oh Mordin."

Mordin sighed, looking down to eye the test tubes in his hand. This predicament would not rid itself soon. He guessed the commander must have consumed much more alcohol than he thought. Or it was probably that her resistance to the same was next to a human infant's.

In the time that he had taken his eyes off her, Shepard had left the table to stand right across him. "I know what that was all about." Mordin looked up finally, eyes narrowed but otherwise expressionless. "You're attracted to me!"

Mordin shook his head. "No, Commander. Salarians possess no sex drive. Our only goal is reproduction. Continuation of species. Do not know what modifications Cerberus made to you. If it involves ability to produce Salarian offspring, then fine."

Shepard didn't reply. She moved to sit on his bead, and for a moment seemed to be admiring the surroundings. Hoping that the alcohol in her system was beginning to wear off, Mordin turned his attention back to his workspace, keeping back things that had been so carelessly displaced by his drunk commander in the right place.

Mordin took a while to arrange everything back to how they were before, and in that time-span Shepard still hadn't uttered a word. Just when he thought she would finally leave him alone, she spoke-

"You're an_ awesome_ guy Mordin. You know that?"

Mordin resisted the temptation to _attempt_ to roll his eyes- a human act that he'd grown accustomed to. "Aware of that, yes."

Shepard laughed. "Of course you are. I read about that thing-" she paused, trying to recollect. "-thing where you tried to dissuade that assistant of yours from going out to help the batarians back on Omega."

Mordin looked up, confused. "Shadow broker again?"

Shepard nodded hastily, before speaking again. "I know you would have felt bad if he-" A hiccup- Mordin noted. He would have to study that particular human reflex soon. "Excuse me. Yeah, if he had died. But he didn't. I saved him!" Shepard softly punched the air in delight. Mordin sighed and shook his head. Capacity of a human infant-yes.

"Guess that means we make a great team huh."

Mordin smiled weakly. His allotted time to spend humoring his commander had run out a long time ago. Every nerve in his body was itching to go back to reading his datapad and finally figuring out a cure for the sexually transmitted disease sourced by the varren. "Would make better team if we cooperated. You let me do my work, and I let you-"

Mordin's words were left hanging as Shepard pounced on him with a hug. Being caught unawares tipped his balance and he stumbled back against the desk that he had oh-so-neatly arranged just a moment back. Mordin only had time to hear something slip off the desk before he heard the familiar sound of glass shattering. Cursing under his breath and completely ignoring the human that was hanging onto his body, Mordin turned his head down to see a golden yellow concoction and pieces of glass presently decorating his floor.

He slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he contemplated his loss. Finding an asari that had contacted the varren STD had been tryingly difficult. He remembered the trouble he had to go into to arrange a shipment of varren to said asari before she'd even agreed to offer him a sample of her blood. Blood that he had so carefully mixed with the right components to analyze. An analysis that would have fitted in as the last piece in his current endeavor.

Shepard continued to snuggle up to the doctor, burying her head in the crook of his neck and coming very close to choking him with both her hands around his neck, body pressed tight against his one side. Mordin managed to squeeze out part of his hand that had been crushed under her body and typed something into his omnitool, his left hand having been left relatively free.

Deactivating the omnitool, Mordin began to count.

"Don't ever leave me Mordin. I don't think I can do this without you- _any_ of you. All of you guys have just been so nice to me, _so_ nice, so very very..."

Mordin counted to twenty before he felt his commander's body go limp and heard her slight snores. He counted to thirty five before the door to his lab opened to reveal a wide-eyed Garrus Vakarian.

Garrus stayed rooted on the spot, eyes fixed on Shepard latched onto Mordin, seemingly asleep. It took him a moment to take in the situation before Mordin used his free hand to point at the woman that was hanging onto him. Garrus immediately nodded and moved forward to gently transfer their snoring commander into his arms.

"Late. Specifically said 30 seconds." Mordin hissed, straightening the creases on his coat.

"What the hell happened?" Garrus whispered, hoping not to awaken the commander.

"Trouble. Drunk Commander nothing but trouble." Mordin began to push Garrus to the door. "Now leave. Must compensate for loss in time and materials."

Reaching the door, Garrus began to adjust Shepard into a more comfortable position when Mordin yanked him by the collar and Garrus almost went toppling onto the floor along with a drunk, asleep Shepard in tow. "_Mordin what the-_"

"Interesting fact for you." Mordin said, cutting him off. Garrus turned his head to face a smug looking doctor. "Commander quite..._ talkative_ when drunk. Three cloacae for human females. You are aware, of course."

Garrus opened his mouth to protest when Mordin cut him off again. "Must be aware of the posterior cloaca as well then. Apparently Commander quite fond of... copulation through said cloaca. Was too embarrassed to tell you. Apparently gives her heightened levels of pleasure. _Unimaginable_ levels. Advise to take her by surprise. Human females react positively to surprise acts during … copulation. Especially when said act involves such... _unfathomable_ levels of pleasure."

Mordin spent an extra second taking in the horrified look on Garrus's face before closing the door behind him.


	3. Urdnot Grunt

**AN:** I had a lot of fun writing this! Grunt is one of my favourite characters in the series. Hope you guys enjoy it just as much. Again, assumed FemShep/Garrus but only very slight hints.

Thanks a lot for the reviews! :)

_**Urdnot Grunt**_

"Its the best way, Shepard. You know it."

Garrus Vakarian leaned back against the Main Battery door, eying his commander as she processed his proposal. Shepard's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, one hand absently drumming the extension from the wall that she was currently sitting on.

"But he's still literally a new born." Shepard persisted, unwilling to change her stance on the issue. "We can't just throw him out there-"

"He's a full grown _adult_ new born who recently slaughtered a thresher maw on foot." Garrus continued, unshaken resolution lacing each word. "Sure he had your help,-" Shepard looked up at him as his hands gestured his impatience. "-but its not like he was cowering behind a rock the whole while."

Garrus shifted his weight from the door to stand directly across Shepard. "I know he's passed the formal passage into adulthood according to _krogan_ standards. But see it this way Shepard-" Garrus kept her gaze. "I think the last thing the krogan need is for the _one_ engineered _perfect_ specimen of their species, _specifically_ designed to _considerably_ contribute in their revival, to end up _oblivious_ to the act of impregnating their women and possibly-" Garrus paused to take a breath, "-_possibly_ result in the extinction of their entire species."

Shepard only stared, eyes wide, not knowing whether to laugh at his intended absurdity or sigh in frustration.

"Do you want that Shepard?" Garrus's voice fell into a harsh whisper as he bent forward, moving his face so close to Shepard's that she could see the pointy ends of his teeth through the gap in his madibles. "Do you want to be responsible for the _extinction_ of the krogan race?"

"You're impossible Garrus." Shepard rolled her eyes, pushing the turian's face aside with her palm. She stood up and took a few steps away from him, lost in though. Garrus let out an audible sigh, seating himself upon where she'd been sitting.

"Fine." Shepard said, finally, turning around to catch the smug grin on Garrus's face- or its turian equivalent with the flared mandibles.

Another moment passed before Shepard snorted and turned her head to the ceiling.

"Joker. Plot a course for Omega."

* * *

"Battlemaster, what are we going to kill today? Mercs, vorcha?" Grunt fixed an amused grin at his turian counterpart as they walked alongside each other through the corridors of Omega. "Turians?"

Shepard smirked, walking forward. She was sure she would _pay_ to watch Grunt take on Garrus, though it would probably be a little hard to make sure no fatalities would be involved. "Sorry Grunt." She kept her pace, walking toward the upper area of Afterlife. Since she had helped Aria T'Loak take back Omega, she'd been offered special services for whenever she decided to visit, including being allowed to even sit at a table in the upper section of Afterlife. She wasn't sure how much of a favor that was though.

"No bloodshed today."

Grunt snorted. "What is this then, some kind of talk-talk mission like it was with that justicar's daughter? I'm not much of a talker Shepard."

Garrus choked back a chuckle. "I would have _killed_ to see Samara send _him_ in to seduce Morinth."

"Seduce?" Grunt punched his fists together. "I would have broken her neck in an instant. More than one way to end a problem."

Shepard was a little disturbed by how Grunt had so casually discarded the option of seducing Morinth. For a moment she wondered if they should turn right back to the ship. She turned her head around to fix Garrus with an apprehensive gaze. But the turian simply seemed extremely amused, and flared out his mandibles even wider.

Shepard turned back around, shaking her head at the absurdity of it all. If something went terribly wrong and Grunt ended up killing somebody, she would give the krogan full permission to beat up the smug turian that was casually striding behind her, obviously enjoying the situation.

The doorway to the upper section of Afterlife came to view, and Shepard resisted the urge to sigh at the sight of the plethora of alien bodies dotting the area. The bouncers seemed to be doing a pretty good job at keeping them all out, yet some people would forever remain persistent.

A few more steps and they had reached the agitated mass, and Shepard began to will her petite form forward through the bulk of humans and aliens alike, face slightly contorted at the stench of sweat and alcohol and rabid madness.

"Shepard!"

Shepard didn't turn around at Grunt's disgruntled call. "Just walk." She said, shouting over the chaos.

Shepard stood on her toes to catch sight of a familiar batarian bouncer. She brought a hand up over the crowd and began to wave frenetically, hoping to grab his attention. When that didn't work, she waved both hands, trying hard not to imagine how moronic she must have looked.

The bouncer merely continued to thwart the army of idiots that were trying to swarm into his club, completely oblivious to Shepard's antics.

Her patience worn dangerously thin, Shepard did the one thing that she knew would work. Grabbing her pistol and aiming it to the roof, she fired.

There was the sound of collective gasps, and the next moment every single head around Shepard turned to face her, simultaneously encircling her, weapons drawn.

Shepard let out a low laugh at the sight of Garrus fixing her with a _what-the-hell_ gaze, his own rifle drawn at the crowd amassing around them. She simply shrugged and raised both hands in a sign of peace, the smirk never disappearing from her face. A second later and two pairs of batarian bouncers squeezed their way through the crowd, a string of curses following them.

The bouncer she'd been attempting to alert stopped when he caught sight of Shepard. Shepard herself simply tilted her head, awaiting his response. The mass of people grew silent, clicking their weapons, readying for attack. Grunt and Garrus did the same.

The bouncer regarded Shepard a moment longer before he broke out into a fit of laughter. Shepard grinned, glancing around to the hoard around them that had by then lowered their guns in confusion. Some of them even seemed mildly irritated at losing the chance at a firefight.

"Always got to make an entrance Shepard." The batarian said, spreading his arms out in greeting. Before Shepard could respond, Grunt came up to stand next to her, a scowl etched on his face.

"Battlemaster! We should kill them for daring to raise their guns at us!"

"Not now Grunt." Shepard brought a hand behind the haughty krogan's back, turning her head around to face the batarian who was now giving Grunt a look of scrutiny. "Don't mind my friend here," Shepard gave her companion another thump on the back, earning a low grunt in response. "He's... young."

The batarain nodded, and turned around and walked, gesturing for Shepard to follow. The sight of them being led to the entrance incited some unrest amongst the crowd that had already begun accumulating around the same area once again, but Shepard ignored it, thankful at last for the free pass.

Shepard slowed her pace to fall in step with Garrus, and allowed Grunt to walk forward. "Tell me that was awesome." She prompted, looking straight ahead. Garrus shook his head.

"Would have been even better if Grunt had opened fire."

Shepard only snickered at his response. They had reached the second door that opened to the club, and Shepard grimaced as one of the asari dancers came up a little too close to her. She ignored the skimpily clad woman's advances, and mentally cursed herself for even thinking that willingly hurling Grunt into their grasp was a good idea.

They had finally entered the club, and Shepard took it all in- the asari dancers with their tantalizing moves on the poles and on tables in front of drooling patrons, the huge holos that magnified their alluring forms for all to see, the blaring yet enthralling music that drummed in her ears, the drunk bodies of all species perched atop the bar counters- momentarily lost to themselves and the world around them, sweat soaked others coalesced together grinding against strangers on the dance floor, smirking bartenders handing out their colorful concoctions, acquaintances sitting across tables laughing over alcohol. No matter how many times she saw it, Shepard would never cease to be amazed by the utter madness that was Afterlife- yet it was a madness that never failed in draw her in. Shepard knew that if at any point in time she wanted to simply escape it all, this was where she would come to.

A hand on her shoulder snapped her away from her thoughts. "There." Garrus pointed with his other hand to a table not too far away, and Shepard nodded in agreement.

Grunt was the last to be seated. He took an extra few seconds taking in his surroundings, an all too prominent scowl marking his features, before sitting across her and beside Garrus.

"Shepard! This place is an atrocity!" Grunt slammed a fist on the table, and Shepard felt it almost give away. "The sight of these filthy beings all around me in their pathetic states makes me angry! I almost want to kill them all!" Shepard glanced at Garrus, who looked away just as quickly. Grunt continued- "Why have you brought me here?"

Shepard let out an audible sigh, bringing both hands atop the table in a pacifying gesture she knew was futile. "Grunt, calm down. We're just here to-" Shepard paused, racking her brain for some form of answer. "- to take a break from saving the galaxy." Grunt's fists were still clenched, but he seemed to have calmed down, mildly. Shepard continued- "And the people here are not all pathetic. They just come here to take a break like us, from all of their harrowing lives I assume. There's only so much you can go without sitting down to rest your feet for a while don't you think?" Shepard offered a weak smile, and from the corner of her eye she saw Garrus's amused expression at her pathetic reasoning.

Grunt snorted, turning to look around him once again, expression considerably softer. Shepard widened her eyes at Garrus in an expression of victory, and continued, fueled by her success and the conviction that having Grunt opening fire at the patrons and the workers of Afterlife was the last thing she needed during her off-time. "Alcohol and... asari dancers offer a welcome relief for most species you know- an escape from their difficult lives."

"Its never a bad thing to indulge in them once in a while." Garrus spoke up finally, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table, head turned at Grunt.

The krogan whirled around on his seat, causing Garrus to almost fall off his own, and snarled. "I would never stoop to your levels of entertainment, turian."

Garrus coughed as he attempted to collect his bearings after his near stumble, pointedly ignoring Grunt's gaze. The krogan turned back to eye one of the dancers closest to where they sat. Amusement flashed across his face. "Not like you'd be able to deliver when it came to that anyway."

Shepard choked back a laugh. The irony of it all was too comical to miss- Garrus's idea to bring Grunt to Afterlife to educate him about the act of copulation, and Grunt questions his ability to deliver himself.

"Hey now," Garrus sported a look of defiance. Shepard snickered. "Let me remind you of the number of women who _melted_ at the sound of my name back on Omega."

"I never said you were a bad sniper."

"That's not what I meant."

"You were anonymous. I bet if those women saw your face they wouldn't feel the same anymore."

Shepard leaned back in her seat, enjoying the show unfolding in front of her. Perhaps making the decision to come here with the two of them wasn't such a bad idea after all. She raised a hand, gesturing for one of the waiters to get them their drinks.

Garrus's eyes turned to Shepard's, mandibles flared, and she cocked an eyebrow in question. "I know of at least one woman here that can prove you wrong Grunt."

Shepard hid the surprise in her face well, as Grunt followed Garrus's gaze to look at her. Both of them said nothing, waiting for her response.

Shepard crooked the corner of her mouth upward ever so slowly, relishing the opportunity to wipe the smug look off the turian's expectant face.

She shrugged. "Sorry, I like Thane."

"Ha!" Grunt punched his fists together in glee, rocking the table once again. Garrus slumped back into his seat in defeat.

The smirk never left Shepard's face as the waiter brought their drinks to the table. Garrus reached forward and grabbed his glass, drowning most of the liquid in less than a second. Grunt continued to laugh, slightly rocking back and forth like a little child, stirring his drink in the process. Shepard observed the krogan's antics, shaking her head in amusement.

"So Grunt-" Shepard took another gulp of her drink. "I'm going to give you a short lesson on Earth's animals."

Both Grunt and Garrus looked at her questioningly. Shepard gestured with both hands in explanation, and continued- "I just found out that you've been researching on the extranet, that's all. And who better to learn from than a human?"

"But Shepard, we didn't come here for-" Shepard raised a palm to silence Garrus. "In time." She said.

Shepard brought out her omnitool interface and began typing into it. Meanwhile, Garrus turned to Grunt- "Earth animals?"

Grunt shrugged. "They seemed fierce enough."

"Done." Shepard summoned a holo of what looked like a big streamlined mass of teeth with no limbs whatsoever to the two aliens sitting across her.

Grunt's face lit up immediately in recognition. "Sharks!"

Garrus leaned forward, narrowing his eyes as he observed the hologram. "Two rows of teeth. I assume humans tame this thing?"

"Of course not." Shepard laughed, shaking her head. "They're too wild, if you tried to domesticate them they'd just bite your ass off clean."

Garrus's jaw dropped. "How the hell are you alive with this thing roaming about then?"

Grunt snickered in admiration, turning to look at the turian beside him. "Told you they were fierce."

Shepard shrugged. "They're aquatic. As long as we don't dive into their territory, we're safe. There have been several incidents of man slaughter though, but enough precautions are taken nowadays to prevent that."

Shepard smiled at the sight of Grunt eying the holo from every angle, careful consideration on his face.

"Impressed Grunt?"

The krogan snorted. "It sure is fierce. Those teeth make a turian's fangs look like a pyjak's sorry behind." Garrus gazed at him accusingly, but Grunt never took his eyes off the hologram. "But I bet I could still rip it in two though, if I could get my hands into those _jaws_." Grunt brought both hands forward to the holo's jaws to mimic the action. "Would get bloody. But the bloodier, the merrier."

Shepard blinked as she remembered something. "Speaking of jaws-" She began to type furiously into her omnitool interface once again. "There was this vid I saw when I was a kid. It was made a really long time ago, when computer generated graphics didn't exist." Garrus leaned forward once again. Grunt didn't move from his spot, his interest already piqued. Shepard brought forth another holo- this time it was two dimensional though, and it was a video.

"This is the last scene from the vid, and the best." Shepard pressed a button, and the video began to play. Both her squadmates sitting across her leaned over the table some more to catch a good view. There were two human men on a strange looking vehicle floating over a vast expanse of water. "That's a boat." Shepard pointed to the vehicle, then to each of the two humans individually. "And that's Quint, and Brody. They're trying to kill this man-eating shark that's been plaguing their town."

Immediately, a creature resembling the one Shepard had just showed them emerged from the water and over the 'boat'. The men seemed to be scared out of their wits as they uttered something in their language, while the shark's weight tipped the vehicle, and one man slipped right to it.

The ensuing fight between man and beast had Grunt at the edge of his seat, cheering whenever the shark gulped in a little more of the human's torso. Shepard laughed to see the krogan's full on support for the shark- it was hardly surprising. Garrus muttered some things in between too, excitement enveloping his features, though he clearly didn't seem to be in support of one party or the other.

After Quint had been devoured- to Grunt's immense pleasure- Garrus looked up at Shepard- one talon pointed at the holo. "That thing's eyes seemed strangely lifeless, and its motions oddly mechanical."

Shepard chuckled as Grunt lightly punched the turian's arm, though at Garrus's wince she supposed it wasn't as light as she thought it was. "Shut up and enjoy the vid." The krogan said, eyes fixed on the holo.

Shepard rose from her seat toward Garrus, speaking softly so Grunt wouldn't be interrupted again. "That's probably because it _was_ a machine, big guy."

Garrus shook his head in amusement, and the three resumed to watching the vid. By then, the second human had engaged the shark, and he was climbing to the top of a pole while the vehicle under him continued to sink.

"Weak." Grunt commented, seeing the human's futile attempts to clamber higher up the pole, away from the shark. Neither of them had made any comment regarding the oxygen cylinder that lay embedded in the shark's mouth, and Shepard smiled smugly thinking of what Grunt would have to say about Brody's ingenious plan in the end.

In another few minutes, it happened. The human sent a bullet flying into the strange cylinder in the shark's jaws, and it exploded.

Grunt's mouth gaped as he regarded the scene, a mixture of shock and disappointment on his face. Garrus looked oddly impressed. "Damn, smart guy."

Shepard nodded, turning the holo off, and resumed her typing. In another second, the frown was wiped off Grunt's face as the hologram of another beast took form in front of them.

Garrus fell back in his seat, laughing slightly. "Da-_amn_." He said, shaking his head in disbelief. Grunt merely gawked, saying nothing.

"Say hello to the Tyrannosaurus Rex." Shepard said, a touch of pride in her voice, seeing the reaction she was receiving from two of the galaxy's most feared species at the sight of one that had resided on her own planet. She'd brought up a figure of a human beside the giant animal for comparison.

"Tell me again Shepard-" Garrus's eyes moved back and forth between the tiny human and the monstrous animal beside it. "How _are_ you the dominant species of your planet?"

"I remember." Grunt spoke softly, still seemingly captivated by the holo. "I remember searching for this. But I didn't get any results."

Shepard opened her mouth to tell him he'd confused T-Wrex for T-Rex, then decided against it. "Luckily for us," she said, answering Garrus, "this big guy is extinct- has been for the last couple of million years."

Grunt leaned back on his seat finally, lightly punching the table with both fists. "Battlemaster, no offense to you, but as a krogan I would have preferred for you to look like that!"

Garrus choked on his drink as the image of a T-Rex in N7 armour ordering them around instantly materialized in his head. "Disturbing, but true Shepard. A whole planet of those things could have probably taken on the Reapers by themselves."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow at Garrus. "Are you saying you think the evolution of my species was a _mistake_, Vakarian?"

Garrus's mandibles flared and his posture straightened. "Some nights I don't."

Shepard coughed, and immediately took another gulp of her drink, inadvertently inviting Grunt's suspicious glance. Just as quickly, she disabled her omnitool and gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Class over."

Grunt snickered, and Shepard feared to imagine what he might be thinking. For a few moments after, the three of them sat occupied with their drinks. The silence was comfortable for Shepard, as she let the cacophony around her seep through to her brain, numbing her senses. Closing her eyes, she felt an odd sort of nirvana.

Garrus audibly cleared his throat, prompting Shepard to open her eyes and look at him. He had leaned far back in his seat, and was gesturing at something, avoiding Grunt's attention. Shepard looked toward the direction that he was pointing at, and her eyes fell upon a particularly attractive asari dancer, eying Grunt hungrily. Shepard's eyes widened ever so slightly- they had planned to set Grunt up with somebody, but she'd never thought the baby krogan would be capable of drawing so much attention to himself. She guessed that she still had a lot to learn about what was considered to be attractive in a krogan.

Shepard darted her eyes back to Garrus, and nodded slightly. Garrus took the cue and rose up from his seat. "I'll be back in a minute." Grunt ignored the turian as he walked away, concentrating solely on his drink.

Shepard watched as Garrus went up to the asari who had been eying up Grunt. She seemed to look slightly disappointed at the fact that it was Garrus and not his krogan companion that had come up to her. In another minute however, Shepard saw the asari's face light up, and a few nodding of heads later, Garrus was back in his seat- flashing his teeth in victory.

It took just another second or so for said asari to walk up to their table, hips swaying, and seat her bottom self-assuredly on the table right in front of Grunt, almost spilling his drink. Grunt's face shot up to look at the intruder, and for a second Shepard's hand involuntarily went to grab her pistol lest Grunt felt like demonstrating what he'd wanted to do with the shark on the seductive blue form that sat atop their table.

"Looks like you have an admirer Grunt." Garrus leaned forward, running his eyes over the asari's body. "Not bad-" His mandibles flickered, and Shepard had to fight the urge to punch that look right off his face. "Not bad at all."

Shepard felt a wave of relief pass through her at the sight of Grunt smirking at Garrus's comment, regarding the asari himself. "Trying to pretend your pride isn't wounded, turian?"

Shepard's hand left her pistol. She had to admire Garrus's fast thinking. Even if he didn't want to, Grunt would indulge the asari only to prove himself better than the turian beside him.

A low laugh laced with a growl emanated from her krogan counterpart, as he brought a hand forward to gently caress the asari's thigh. Shepard looked away, a strange feeling coming over her. It was disturbing to see Grunt feel the asari up like that, and at that moment all Shepard wanted to do was shove the skimpily clad dancer away and drag Grunt back to the Normandy where he belonged. The krogan had slaughtered almost every form of being in the galaxy with a smile on his face under Shepard's command- and she had encouraged him as best she could- but bringing him down to the shit-hole of the galaxy that was Omega and willingly thrusting him into the likes of the almost naked creature sitting right next to her made her insides fill with a mixture of disgust and regret. But she knew it had to be done, how much ever she hated it- it would be his initiation of sorts, as Garrus had put it- so Shepard simply leaned back on her seat and waited for the asari to drag her treasure to one of the rooms in the back and be done with it.

A second later and Shepard's prayers were answered as the asari pulled Grunt up by the collar of his armor- never ceasing the continuous grinding of her body against him- and began to lead him away. Shepard had just begun to take in a breath in relief when there came along another asari- this one clad in even less clothing than the first, if that was even possible- making slow strides towards the pair, licking her lips sensually.

"Mind if I join in?" She cooed at Grunt and his partner, and Shepard simply sat unmoving, fists clenched.

The first asari giggled in response, and Grunt wasted no time in bringing his other hand around the second, his grin widening.

The line Shepard had drawn before she'd come in here had been hazy to begin with, but she had no doubt that it had just been crossed by a giant leap. Fueled by a strange instinct that told her that there was no way in hell she was going to let two whores have their go at Grunt _simultaneously_, Shepard shot up from her seat and stormed toward them. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Garrus making a grab at the air in a pathetic attempt to calm her down, but she paid him no heed.

With a heavy foot, Shepard stopped in front of Grunt, garlanded by his twin prizes. "Why don't you two-" She said, pointing at Grunt and his original partner, "-go on ahead. I'll just have a word with her." She finished, staring daggers at the unwelcome asari.

Grunt simply grinned. "No problem Shepard." He began to walk away with the first asari, growling deeply in satisfaction. Shepard pretended she didn't hear his audible reactions to the manifestation of sex that he held in his arms, instead concentrating solely on the being in front of her.

The asari regarded Shepard with fascination, parting her lips and narrowing her eyes and breathing slowly, sensually. "My my, looks like you want me all to your-"

"Turn around, and walk away. _Now_." Malice dripped from every one of Shepard's words, and she was sure the asari could see fire in her eyes. Shepard was seething. Years of military training did little to quench the insatiable need she felt right then to break that fragile neck.

Shock registered on the asari's face, and her lips trembled. "What-"

"_Do _it." Shepard brought both hands in front of the smaller being's face, cracking her knuckles. "Or some _very_ lucky varren are going to have a feast tonight."

The asari whirled around and ran away as fast as she could, almost tripping a few times in the process. Shepard watched the sight in mild relief, before moving to sit down at her table.

Shepard ignored Garrus's scrutiny, drumming her fingers on the table. The blood rage had been triggered, and it would take a moment for her to calm down completely. In that time, a dozen thoughts ran through her head. She should never have listened to Garrus. Hell, it wasn't like Grunt wouldn't be able to figure out for himself how things worked. This was a mistake- she should just storm into the back rooms and grab Grunt before the asari could taint him with her dirty self.

"Shepard-"

Shepard's head jerked toward Garrus, her eyes piercing through his. Garrus knew it probably wasn't the right time, but he had to do something, else the person most likely to cause bloodshed today wouldn't be Grunt.

"Shepard it had to be done. The dossiers said that he was downloading Fornax! What better way to sate his curiosity? And he transitioned into an adult the moment he passed the krogan Rite of Passage." Shepard looked down, but didn't respond. "No matter how much you try to deny it, he is not a kid Shepard."

A drawn out sigh escaped Shepard's lips and she slumped further back into her seat, gripping the drink in front of her. She gestured for a waiter to refill her glass, and he did so promptly.

After another moment, she looked up at Garrus, offering him a half-hearted smirk. Garrus let out a breath in relief, drowning a little more of his drink. "Gotta say though, you have a way with threats. I was surprised that asari didn't pass out in fright."

Shepard laughed at that, stirring her own drink. "I had half a mind to finish her off then and there." Shepard caught a flash of concern on Garrus's face, so she continued- "But it wouldn't have been worth dealing with Aria later."

"Glad to see common sense still prevails over your adorable need to shoot everything on sight."

Shepard snickered, taking in a few gulps of her drink. Garrus looked away casually, eying nothing in particular. Shepard did the same, allowing the strange sense of calm to take over her again. It was utterly peculiar how the ambience at Afterlife could stir both extremities of emotions within her, but at the moment she could hardly bring herself to care.

It felt good, sitting across Garrus in silence, sipping her drink. She just hoped Grunt wasn't faring too bad himself.

As if on cue, the krogan emerged from the side, the asari following him not too far behind. There was a slump in his steps, Shepard noted, as he approached the table. "Battlemaster," Grunt said, almost resignedly. "Let's get out of here."

Both Shepard and Garrus simply gawked at him. Grunt did not look like the kind of person that had just _did_ it; he looked, if it was even possible, almost sad. Without waiting for a response, Grunt simply turned around and began to walk to the entrance of the club.

His spot beside the table was replaced by the asari he'd taken with him, and Shepard noticed how different she looked. There was no longer an air of sexuality about her, and her eyes look strangely gleamed over under the club lights. Had she been _crying_? Shepard immediately glanced at Garrus, without turning her head around, and his expression said he'd noticed too.

"I-" The asari began, seemingly choking back tears. "I cannot thank you _enough_ for your friend's actions." At both Shepard's and Garrus's looks of confusion, she continued- "The moment I locked the door behind me, he asked me why I was doing this. In all my years-" A few tears streamed down her cheeks, and beneath the surprise at hearing what she was saying, Shepard began to feel mildly uncomfortable at the situation in hand. "In all my years here, nobody has ever asked me that. He heard me out as I told him about my life and how I had to choose either this or death." Sobs escaped her lips as the asari brought a hand to hastily wipe away her tears. Shepard shifted in her seat in discomfort, and she saw Garrus do the same. "He told me about honor and pride, and how nothing in life was worth discarding that for. I listened, and in the end he handed me every single credit on his body." She brought forth a bag of credits. Shepard's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "He told me to get out of here and begin a new life, a life that was worthy of my existence. I don't- I don't know if he was angry or disgusted or simply concerned, but after that he just left. He never laid a finger on me."

For once, Shepard had nothing to say. Instead, she simply grabbed her drink and furiously emptied it into her mouth, processing every word of what the asari had just said. "I, uh-" She heard Garrus speak up. "We're glad. You should uh- you should carry on then." At this, the asari nodded, a genuine smile forming over her features. She turned to look at Shepard, who managed a curt nod. Another beaming smile, and she left.

Garrus turned in his seat finally. "Well I'll be _damned_."

Shepard looked up at him, smiling. A strange sort of warmth spread through her. "Come on. Let's collect our friend get out her here."

Garrus nodded, the satisfaction evident on his face. "Gladly."


End file.
